Administration resolves teacher absences

By Jessie Rosenfeld

Staff Writer

Advanced Placement and honors chemistry teacher Charlotte Shales-Clark was absent for the first 18 days of the 2013 school year due to injury.

Shales-Clark is now back teaching and was able to  finish the first quarter of the school year. In the second quarter of the school year, Shales-Clark is going to be co-teaching her classes, so that the school can be prepared if she is absent again.

“It is unfortunate becauseI think she is a phenomenal teacher” Vice Principal Ian Drummond said. “We would love to have her here, but I recognize there are limitations that she is dealing with, so we are just hoping that she can be here as much as possible.”

While Shales-Clark was gone from her classroom, former Mira Costa history teacher Jerry Quigley substituted for her class. To assist Quigley, teacher’s assistants in each class period would help teach the class.

“We ended up going a little bit slower because the TAs were teaching the class,” sophomore Emma Janson said. “Over all, it did not really negatively affect the way we ended up learning the materials.”

A few times during her leave of absence Shales-Clark came to visit her classroom. She also sent outlines, tests and quizzes to the classroom to help the students learn during her absence.

“Since chemistry was a new subject for most of the students in the class, it was initially hard to understand the concepts,” sophomore honors chemistry student Jackson Kopitz said. “Fortunately, after lots of practice and the return of Shales-Clark, our class is back on track.

After several interviews Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale asked two substitutes to co-teach with Shales-Clark for the rest of the year. They had first said yes, but then declined because they were not satisfied with the salary that was offered.

“We got the sense that the issue was solved,” Dale said. “Then we found that it wasn’t solved because the substitutes backed out, which was frustrating.”

Costa’s biology and chemistry teacher Teresa Nielsen, who had been gone for the first quarter of the school year on maternity leave, has agreed to co-teach with Shales-Clark.

“I am optimistic about co-teaching with Shales-Clark,” Nielsen said. “I look forward to learning about how she built such a successful AP program.”

Nielsen will be in class with Shales-Clark every day and for all of her periods. During the days Shales-Clark is absent throughout the rest of the year Nielsen will take over.

“I try to correct and improve the day to day situation for the kids in her class,” Dale said. “Thats why we have asked Nielsen for her assignment to be in a co-teaching relationship with Shales.”

Various Costa teachers have been substituting for Nielsen during their free periods while she was gone. According to Dale the plan is to keep the students with the Costa teachers for the rest of the semester. Next semester, the district hopes to hire a teacher to take over Nielsen’s classes.

“I am fine taking over a class for Mrs.Nielsen because the students are awesome,” Costa biology and chemistry teacher Yoon Hearn said.